I think you are asking two unique question here, with different answers.

Who was the better Wing? YzermanWho was the better player? Lidstrom

I totally agree with this. On pure hockey ability and skill, Lidstrom comes out on top. But the best Wing? Yzerman showed up for this team in any manner that they needed him consistently and reliably for over twenty years. Lidstrom was a great leader, but Stevie was The Captain. Love them both, and am honored that I got to grow up watching them play for my team.

To me Stevie was great. He was a great player, a great leader and even a better person. BUT, Nick Lidstrom is slightly a step up in that he was never phased, was always on his A game whether he was 25, 30 or 42... the guy simply always had it. I have went to several Red Wings games in my short 21 year life, and I can honestly say that anytime number 5 came on the ice I felt safe, I felt like there was nothing the team had to worry about because he simply did everything perfectly and so effortlessly. More then that, he was literally ALWAYS there.

As you guys have said, we are spoiled to even be able to have this debate in the first place, but for me Lidstrom was the guy who I always idolized growing up and I met him 4 times and he was just such a nice guy. I cried when Stevie Y retired and I cried harder when Nick retired... it is like losing a family member. Lets just be thankful we have so many great memories of both of these greats.

If we are just talking best Wing and not best player, I'd be curious to see if there is a generational difference with the older fans leaning toward Stevie and the younger fans leaning toward Lids. I was talking to my 11 year old cousin about Stevie and growing up watching him and my cousin just couldn't fathom that anyone could be a more important Wing than Lids.

Just look at how he hangs his sunglasses from his banana hammock in that last pic. This guyf****** rules. --kipwinger

"If I can be totally honest, it's not a lot of guys you get impressed by. Actually, it's no one else but him. From the bench, to see what move he makes -- you're like, 'I wish I could do that.' Sometimes you sit on the bench and just think, 'wow,' and you look over to the other bench and they sit there and shake their heads, too. He has great, great skills. I'm probably not going to play with another player who has the kind of skills he has." Mikael Samuelsson on Pavel Datsyuk

Lids. Hands down. Seven Norris Trophies that should have been 10. Yzerman never won any best forward trophies other than a Selke.

This had nothing to do with the fact Yzerman shared his prime with the two greatest forwards ever in Gretzky and Lemieux? He would have had the most points in 88 and 89 if not for the two greatest players of all time.

Lemieux had 199 points, Gretzky had 168, and Yzerman ONLY had a punie 155 points that season. Yzerman scored over a 100 points a season six years in a row. Had he not shared his prime with those two he would have had a lot more hardware.

This. Lidstrom is the second best defenceman of all time. Yzerman wasn't even the second best center of his era.

This had nothing to do with the fact Yzerman shared his prime with the two greatest forwards ever in Gretzky and Lemieux? He would have had the most points in 88 and 89 if not for the two greatest players of all time.

Lemieux had 199 points, Gretzky had 168, and Yzerman ONLY had a punie 155 points that season. Yzerman scored over a 100 points a season six years in a row. Had he not shared his prime with those two he would have had a lot more hardware.

Well being 3 behind these two is still an incredible large accomplishment if you ask me. In terms of overall awarness to he has been more complete than both all time greats.